The Five Magicians
by Lovely Wanderer
Summary: When five strong solo acts get mysterious tarot cards, they come together to pull off the biggest heist the world has ever seen. Filled with plotting, planning, traveling, and maybe even love, read to find out what happens to the Five Horsemen in one completely amazing year. (Jack/OC)
1. Author's Note

Hi there. It's me, Lovely Wanderer. I know it's been a while my friends, but I have come back. And there are a few things I need to say before the story can begin.

First things first. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't been around to update and add new chapters. Since my last update, things have been crazy, and not necessarily in the good sense. I am a senior in high school now, and the pressure is on to keep my grades up while I am bombarded by work from my classes and trying to balance music and writing along with it, all while trying to keep my sanity as lots of changes have been going on in my life. That is by no means the easiest thing to do. That's why this story has fallen by the wayside. It was not a Number One priority.

I never forgot about it though, and I certainly haven't forgotten about you guys.

And that's why I want to thank you guys for being patient, and still favoriting this story and reviewing it, and reading it some more. It truly means a lot to me.

So now, I am very proud to say that I am starting this story back up. I have gone back and edited Chapters 1 through 6, and I am starting to write new chapters. I will try my best to update at more regular intervals, but I won't have a set update schedule because that's not how I roll.

Again, I thank you guys, so much.

Happy reading!

P.S. Have you guys heard that there is going to be a Now You See Me 2 coming out in June 2016?! It's so exciting! Go look it up on Imdb!


	2. The Illusionist

**Here we are again. At the first chapter, all edited and shiny just for you guys. This is going to be great. I have some pretty awesome things in store. Remember, I only own my character, Dana, and this particular story. So without further ado, I present:**

The Five Magicians

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 1 - The Illusionist

Night time is the best time. It's my time to shine. Quite literally. I set up shop near the entrance of Washington Square Park just as the sun was setting. It was time to do my thing.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please gather around!" I announced to park goers and passersby. I continued as a few people started to gather around me.

"My name is Dana Voris and I am the next greatest magician. What I am about to show you is going to blow your mind. It may be real to some, it may be fake to others, but I call it magic." I got a polite round of applause. I always loved giving that little speech. I scan the crowd, searching for a volunteer.

"Now, does anyone here have a lighter or a match that I could use? Come on, don't be shy! You sir, in the red shirt, come on up here. What's your name?"

"Michael."

"It's nice to meet you Michael. Do you have a lighter or a match that I could borrow?"

"Yeah, let me just get it here for ya." He felt around in his pockets until he found his lighter.

"I want you to show it to everybody here that this is just an ordinary, everyday lighter. Hold it up high, there you go. Now, tell me, where did you get this?"

"Uh, The Corner Store on 8th and Market."

"Good, good. Now, I would like you to light it and hold it out in front of me." He did what I told him to do. "Don't flinch, just hold it steady."

Michael nodded, focusing on my instructions. I slowly reached out to the flame and wrapped my hand around it. People gasped and held their breath, waiting to see if I would get burned. Naturally, I didn't. I slowly took my hand away. The flame was no longer on the lighter. Michael's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Thank you Michael, you were a lovely assistant. Everyone, give him a round of applause."

He was too flabbergasted to say anything, so he just nodded in acknowledgement and stepped back to join the growing crowd that was politely clapping for him.

I opened my hand and there it was, the flame, flickering in my hand. I started to play with it, making it roll over my knuckles, tossing it in the air and catching it. I was even able to make it bigger, about the size of a baseball, and balance it on my head. Everyone just stood there watching in awe. I smiled to myself, thinking that I would never get tired of the reactions people gave.

For my finale, I tossed the ball of fire up in the air one last time. As it fell, I caught it in my mouth. I took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and blew a huge pillar of fire out of my mouth. The crowd cheered. I gave them a big smile and bowed.

"Thank you for staying to watch me folks! Thank you Philadelphia, the greatest city ever! Thank you everyone! Goodnight!"

I bowed again. As the crowd dispersed, people tossed money into my bag lying open on the ground and sent compliments my way. Once the crowd was gone, I grabbed my bag and headed home; sifting through the money I collected, trying to estimate how much I earned. As I did so, I spied something at the bottom. It wasn't a bill or a business card. I pulled it out to get a better look at it. It was a tarot card.

On it was a picture of a tiny naked cherub type man riding a white horse. Next to the cherub and horse was a billowing red cape, reaching up to the sky from the ground. Behind the cherub and the horse was a wall with sunflowers growing on it. Above the wall was a sun with a face on it. That's what the tarot card was. The Sun. I flipped the card over. On the other side was a symbol of an eye. Well, more like _the _Eye. Below, it read:

_March 29_

_4:44 PM_

_45 East Evan Street_

_NY, NY_

Looks like I'm going to New York.


	3. Meeting

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, as I edited it and made a few changes. I have edited and altered this chapter as well. Like always read and review!

Happy reading!

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 2 - Meeting

I took a deep breath before crossing the street to the apartment building that turned out to be the owner of the address on the card. As I walked towards the door of the building, a redheaded woman was already at the door, just about to step inside. I could not believe my eyes.

"Oh. My. Gosh. You're Henley Reeves!" She turned around to face me.

"That's my name. Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. You didn't happen to get a tarot card, did you?" I asked her as I fished mine from out of my backpack.

"I did actually," she said, as she flashed me the card. "The High Priestess. Which card did you get?"

I held mine up. "The Stars."

I let out an excited laugh. "I still can't believe it. You're Henley Reeves. I've seen all your stuff, in person on more than one occasion. I have to say that I'm a huge fan. I'm Dana by the way. And just between you and me, you're much better without that Daniel Atlas."

She gave me a bright smile. "It's nice to meet you Dana. And thank you."

"Henley?" A voice behind us said. Turning to look at the owner, it was none other than J. Daniel Atlas himself.

"Speak of the devil," I muttered under my breath.

"Danny? Hi."

"So you got a card too, huh?" He was either completely oblivious to my presence, or he was completely ignoring me.

"Mmhmm," she held up card once again.

"Well, that's good for you. Now I want you to stay here while I check everything out, don't come in until I get you." He was about to walk in when she stopped him.

"Hey Danny, I'm not your assistant anymore," she said as she walked in first. He trailed behind her and I slipped in behind him. There was some weird sort of tension between them. It was definitely prominent when they bickered back and forth while climbing the stairs. When we rounded the corner to the sixth floor, we stopped in our tracks. An older man was standing with his back against the door to apartment 6A. He looked us over and his face fell in apparent disappointment.

"Oh. Well seeing as I'm not the only one, let me be the first to kick my ego to the curb."

"What are you waiting for?" I asked. Daniel finally noticed me.

"When did you get here?"

"I walked up with you."

He just shrugged at his lack of observation. He walked over to the door to open it. The man stepped away from it. "The door's locked."

"Is it?" Danny tried to open it.

"Now don't tell me, Helen? No, Henley."

"It's on her coffee cup," Daniel and I both said at the same time.

"Thanks for keeping me honest. That wasn't mentalism by the way, just an observation. Second observation, you are beautiful. Both of you."

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

"That was nice. Very good, very polished bit. I just want to say that I know who you are and I don't want you to do your mentalism thing on me. Especially since we don't know who brought us here or why we are here."

Daniel just kind of rambled on as he gave up on trying to open the door. He also tried to shake the guy's hand, but ended up getting the finger. Quite the chemistry we got going on here.

"Sh sh sh sh. I'm sensing . . . I'm sensing that you are a control freak," he told Danny. Danny looked taken aback by that statement.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Henley butted into the conversation. "It doesn't take a mentalist to figure out that you are a control freak."

A full blown argument was about to erupt when a guy about my age came up the stairs. His eyes flitted over all of us, but landed on Daniel.

"No way. J. Daniel Atlas? I've seen everything you've ever done. I'm your . . . I like idolize you. I'm Jack by the way."

Daniel went to shake his hand. He didn't get the finger this time.

"A true fan. Nice to meet you."

"Question, did you all get a card?" The older man asked. I didn't catch his name if he said it.

"Yeah, let me just get it." He rummaged around in his bag until he found it and showed it to us. "Death."

I held up mine. "The Star."

"The High Priestess," Henley said.

Daniel showed us his. "I got The Lover."

Henley coughed. "Three minutes."

I held back a giggle at that comment.

"Merritt McKinney by the way. The Hermit."

"So, uh, what are we waiting for?" Jack asked.

"The door's locked," the rest of us answered at the same time.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing, nothing is ever locked."

He took out lock picking tools from his pocket and knelt down to open the door.

"Wait, how do we know if this is the right apartment?" I asked, worried that we were going to break into someone's home.

"Do you doubt my mentalism skills?" Merritt asked, feigning hurt.

"No, no, I was just wondering."

Within seconds, Jack had the door open. I would be lying if I didn't say that I was a little impressed. We all cautiously went inside.

"Wow, and I thought that my apartment was nasty," Merritt muttered under his breath.

"It's freezing in here," Jack said.

That was true. You could see your own breath. Everyone took a different room to see what, if anything was there. I walked into a room that looked like it could be a bedroom if it had a bed in it. Instead of a bed, it was crammed full of boxes. I walked inside and peered into a few. They were chock full of papers. What was on the papers, I didn't know. I heard footsteps come up behind me. It was Jack.

"What do you think all of this is for?" He asked me, also taking a look at the contents of some boxes.

"The Eye. It has to be. And that means that all of us are going to be spending a lot more time together," I say looking at him sideways.

He offered me a smile. "That wouldn't be such a bad thing."

I smiled at his comment and turned to leave the room to rejoin the others. In what looked like the living room, there was a white card, white rose, a vase filled with water, and a symbol of some sort carved into the floor.

"What does that card say?" I asked.

Daniel picked it up. "Now you don't," he read.

Henley picked up the rose and put it in the vase. "A rose by any other name," she recited.

The water trickled out of the vase and flowed to the symbol, filling it up. Then it dropped into the floor and fog started to pour out. Everyone took a step back with a chorus of "whoas" while I took a step forward.

"What are you doing? It's gas!" Jack told me.

I ran my fingers through the fog. "No it's not, it's dry ice. Did you do this Henley?"

"No, but I want to meet the ones who did. Did you do this Danny?"

"No, did you?" He asked Jack.

He still had a look of awe on his face. "I wish."

"Why didn't anyone ask if I did it?" Merritt asked, a little hurt.

"Well did you?" I asked him.

"No."

I turned my attention back to the group. Danny had gone over to the lightswitch, trying to get the lights to come on.

"Electricity is out," Jack said.

"Well let's see," said Merritt as he turned a light bulb, trying to get it to come on.

Instead, it seemed as if he turned on projectors. Blue beams of light shot out from four projectors apparently hidden in the walls. The pictures that they projected came together and what was in front of us was completely amazing.

"It's a show," stated Henley as we gathered around the image.

"It's blueprints for a show," Daniel corrected.

"You were right," Jack told me.

"What?"

"I guess we are going to be spending more time together after all."


	4. Author's Note 2

Hey guys. I've decided that I'm going to do an Author's Note every two chapters. I don't know why, but I want to. I don't know what I'll talk about, but I'll think of something.

But, I think I want to kind of do a Q&amp;A with you guys. You can PM me or comment questions that you want me to ask. They can be about whatever you want, I'll do my best to answer them, and I'll put my answers in these Author's Notes.

That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.

So shoot me questions! I'm more than happy to answer them!

Like I've said before, I'm very excited to start writing The Five Magicians again. Even though I had that long hiatus, I was always thinking about things to add to this story, random ideas, scenes, how things would play out, etc. And now I actually have time to write all of that and share it with you guys! Plus, I just got a laptop, so that makes writing a whole lot easier.

Side note, did you guys check out the Now You See Me 2 trailer? I found it on Imdb, and watched it, and fangirled. You guys have no idea how much I am in love with NYSM. But no Henley! That makes me sad. Oh well.

I hope you guys are enjoying the updated version so far, and shoot me questions, or just leave a comment! I love it when you do!

Until next time lovelies!


	5. Now We Don't

**Hello everyone! I hope you guys are liking the updated version of this story so far. It's been fun for me to go back and make it better, and it will be even more fun for me to start cranking out some new material. Don't forget to review! I love reading them! **

**Happy reading lovelies!**

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 3 – Now We Don't

The blueprints disappeared. Everyone was silent.

Merritt voiced everyone's thoughts. "Now what?"

"Now we don't," I said.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"I said now we don't. It's like that card says. We don't do anything until we get more instructions."

Daniel scowled. He sure didn't like letting some unknown being control what we were going to do. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Everyone jumped at the sudden sound.

"And there are our instructions now," Merritt said, heading for the door.

He came back with a box in hand. I stood next to Merritt to check out the box.

"Who are the Five Horsemen?" I asked, reading the address on the box. I already knew the answer, but I just decided to voice what everyone was thinking.

"I believe that would be us," Daniel answered.

"That's a weird name. Kind of silly if you ask me," I said.

"Well, no one was asking you. Whoever set this up, clearly, already had this name in mind," Daniel retorted.

"It was just my opinion. No need to shoot it down."

"Merritt, what's in the box?" Jack interrupted, a little loudly, before an argument could ensue.

"Instructions. But I can't get it open."

I pulled out my pocket knife. "Here let me open it."

Merritt handed me the box and I quickly opened it up. Inside of it were envelopes, one for each of us. I took mine out and passed the box around.

"Ready?" Henley asked. The rest of us just nodded and we all opened our envelopes. I pulled out a letter. It read:

_Dana,_

_Move out of your apartment. Bring only things you need. Sell or give away everything else. Quit your 'profitable' job. You have one week. In that week, you may want to explain to your absence to your loved ones. You will be gone for one year. When the week is up, you will be staying at the following address until told otherwise._

_The Plaza Hotel_

_Fifth Avenue_

_New York, New York_

_Meet the other Horsemen in the lobby at 4:44 PM. Once there, wait for further instructions._

I looked inside my envelope again. There was a hotel key card for the Plaza. Everyone finished reading their letters.

"Now what should we do?" Henley asked. "Maybe we should get something to eat. Is anyone else hungry?"

Everyone else nodded in unison.

"How about pizza?" Jack asked.

No one protested, so we headed out to a pizza place a few blocks away.

"I think so too," Merritt said, walking beside me.

"Do you always do that?" I asked, annoyed.

"Do what?" Merritt innocently replied.

"Comment on other people's thoughts like that."

"Nah, only the special few sweetheart."

"That's not my name."

"It is for me."

"Fine," I said in annoyance.

We got to the pizza place and chatted idly while we waited in line to order. We went and found a table and sat in silence, not really knowing where to start. I took a crack at it.

"This is crazy."

"What is?" Henley asked.

"This whole thing. Think about it. How many magicians are in America? And out of all of those, only five got picked. Us five. Why us in particular? What makes us so special that whoever is in charge of us actually picked us? And who are we working for exactly? Why are they being so secretive, with all the letters and the blueprints?"

No one knew how to answer me.

"Wow. You thought about all that stuff in the time it took us to walk here? That's impressive," Daniel said, leaning back in his seat, a ghost of a smug smile grace his features.

"That was insulting." I told him, as I shifted in my seat to look at him straight on.

"Was it? I was merely complimenting you on your thinking capabilities."

"And that was even more insulting. What you insinuated, was that you were impressed that I had the capacity to form thoughts. That implies to me that you think I'm stupid. Maybe in your own twisted way, that was a compliment. But if that's what you think of me, you've got another thing coming to you," I spat, venom and fire lacing my voice.

"So what did your letter say? Mine was along the lines of: pack up your things, say goodbye to your loved ones, and meet the others at this hotel," Jack interrupted, before yet another fight could break out between Daniel and I.

I glanced at Danny, giving him a look that said, 'This isn't over.'

Merritt and Henley nodded in agreement with Jack, hesitant to add to the conversation, but desperately wanting this strange tension between Danny and I to temporarily dissipate.

"These people at The Eye, our benefactors, must be extremely wealthy," Merritt said, finally making up his mind to speak.

"Why do you say that?" Henley asked, taking Merritt's lead.

"Just look at the hotel we're staying at. And the room, more like suite, number is big, probably on the top floor."

"So where were you guys when you got your tarot cards?" Daniel asked, still sounding a little put off by our little spat.

"After I finished my show, I found it floating around in my tank. I'm an escape artist for those of you who don't know," Henley explained.

"I had just pickpocketed a guy and was looking through his wallet. My tarot card was in my jacket pocket. I usually do sleight of hand tricks, but I can do some other things. I can throw cards really well too," Jack told us.

"I found mine in my bag after I finished my street performance. I was looking through the money I collected and, there it was. I'm an illusionist," I explained to everyone.

"I found my card when I was packing up a few of my things after my little show. You guys all know what my specialty is," Merritt said.

"I found mine in my pocket, after I finished up a spectacular show, if I do say so myself. My specialty is in card tricks, but I'm not limited to just that," Daniel explained.

"I'm sure that beautiful young woman, Nicole, thought it was a spectacular show as well," Merritt said to Daniel.

He looked confused. "What?"

"I mean, she _was_ your biggest fan after all. Emphasis on _was_. You just had to kick her out of your place when you found your card, not in your pocket, but in your shoe. Why was there a shoe lying on the side table next to your couch anyways? Is your apartment really that messy? I mean, if you're going to bring some ladies home, at least have the decency to do it in a somewhat clean place. Am I right?"

Everyone was speechless. Yes, Merritt was a mentalist, but no one thought he could be that accurate. Especially since the look on Daniel's face told us that Merritt was right. Daniel didn't say anything as he went to the bathroom in a huff. I burst out in laughter, glad that at least one of us was able to cut Danny down to size.

"That was great! Do you do that a lot?" I asked Merritt.

"Nah, only to the special few. And in this case, Danny Boy was definitely special." He looked really pleased with himself.

"So what kind of illusions can you do?" Henley asked, steering the conversation in yet another direction.

"Oh, I can do all sorts of things. Like making things disappear and reappear," I said as I unfolded my napkin and covered my drink with it. I raised my hand over the covered glass and brought my hand down hard. My hand slapped the table where the glass was, and the glass had disappeared while the napkin remained.

"I especially like fire."

I reached out to the small candle that was burning on our table and took the flame. I played with the flame a bit and then set the napkin on fire. Once the napkin burnt up, the glass reappeared, as did the flame on the candle.

"But I just say that I'm an illusionist."

"That's pretty impressive sweetheart."

"Impressive? That was just plain awesome!" Jack exclaimed.

"I agree with that statement," said Henley.

"It was a little cool," Daniel said, sliding into his chair.

"So you insult me, and then try to make up for it by complimenting me on my superior magic?"

A fire flashed behind Daniel's eyes when I said that my magic was superior. Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting to see what Daniel would do. He let it slide, but something told me that he wouldn't be forgetting it any time soon.

At that point, our food was brought to our table and we all dug in. Despite the tension between Danny, Merritt, and Henley along with the tension between Danny and I, I felt really good about this. This was definitely going to be one magical year.

Pun intended.


	6. The Hotel

Hi there guys! I really hoped that you liked the last chapter, as I really enjoyed writing it. We got some tension going on! What will happen next? Who knows? I don't even know! Well . . . only sometimes. Anywho, I hope you guys like this chapter, and don't forget to send me comments and questions. I love receiving them!

Happy reading everyone!

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 4 – The Hotel

I took a deep breath. I adjusted my backpack straps on my shoulders and tightened my grip on my suitcase.

No turning back now, I thought as I headed inside.

To say it was fancy would be an understatement. It was so . . . so . . . grandiose. I look around and see Jack across the lobby, leaning casually up against a column. Waving to catch his attention, I head over and greet him. "Hey Jack."

"Hey Dana," he replied.

I took another look around. "Merritt wasn't kidding when he said that our mysterious benefactor was super wealthy," I said, my eyes still drinking in the sight of the grand hotel's lobby.

Jack gave a little chuckle. I turned to look at him.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"We look so out of place."

I took a glance at our clothes. Jack was wearing a black leather jacket, gray t-shirt, dark jeans, and black boots. I was wearing a grey cardigan, burgundy baby doll, dark skinny jeans, and black flats. I looked at all of the other hotel guests. They were clad in sharp suits with shiny shoes and briefcases or dresses with designer hand bags and lots of sparkly jewelry.

While Jack and I were dressed nicely in my opinion, we definitely stood out like a sore thumb. I guess these elitists will have to get over it, because it seems like we're going to be here for a while.

A cheery voice greeted us. "Hey guys!"

Jack and I turned to see the owner of the voice.

"Hey Henley," we said at the same time.

The redhead had a bright smile on her face and coffee cup in hand.

"This place is really extravagant. A girl can get used to this, right Dana?"

I cracked my own smile. "Right."

"All I'm saying is that we shouldn't be just sitting back and taking it easy while we wait for our benefactor to contact us!" Daniel's voice cut through the lobby and we saw him and Merritt coming to join us. He had yet another scowl on his face.

"Hey Danny, your face is eventually going to freeze like that if you keep scowling," I told him.

That just made him scowl even more.

"Daniel here was just explaining to me how we should get a head start on whatever plans our benefactor has in mind for the show," Merritt told us.

"But Danny, we just got here! Can't we just enjoy the hotel before we dive head-first into our work?" Henley pleaded, with big puppy dog eyes.

I watched him and could tell that he was arguing with his thoughts.

"Fine," he said with a little huff, reluctant to give in to Henley's request.

"Now that we're all here, let's head up to our room. Shall we?" Jack said, brandishing his room key and offering his arm to me at the same time.

I offer him a smile in return. "Yes, we shall," I replied, accepting his arm and linking it with my own.

We all started to head to the elevator. Except . . .

"Hey guys?" We all turn towards Henley. "Can you help me with my bags?"

We shot each other sideways glances.

"Sorry Henley, all our hands are full," Merritt said.

She gave a little snort and walked away, probably to find some unfortunate bellhop. There was no way that we would wait for her to get her bag situation taken care of, so we all piled into the elevator and hit the button to the top floor. I bounced on the balls of my feet in anticipation, my arm still linked with Jack's.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Greeting us, was a beautiful hallway. Plush red and gold paisley carpet, ornate wallpaper with alternating thick and thin red and gold stripes, and decorative light fixtures on the walls with shiny teardrop shaped crystals graced the hallway.

I looked at everybody. Jack's mouth was gaping open, Merritt was grinning from ear to ear, and Daniel was trying to look unimpressed, even though his eyes said otherwise.

I was the first to step out of the elevator, and I practically ran to our room. I whipped out my key and slid it in the lock to open it. Opening the door, I took one look and my jaw dropped. It was the most amazing place I would ever stay in.

There was an amazing living room area with a big flat screen TV, two huge comfy couches, and floor to ceiling windows leading to an expansive balcony that gave a gorgeous view of the city and its skyline. Off of the living room was the kitchen, filled with seemingly brand new appliances. An island was in the middle of the kitchen, a granite counter graced the top, with six bar stools surrounding it, giving residents a place to sit and eat. In the right corner of the living room, opposite the kitchen, was a grand staircase that lined the outer edge of the room, leading up to a loft like area. I immediately headed up the stairs, wanting to know what was up there. I paused at the loft. It slightly jutted out over top of the living room. I could see the entire bottom floor from that loft. By this time, the boys had made it into the room. Their reactions were the same as mine.

I smiled, mostly to myself. If this was what the rest of our year was going to be like, I can't wait to see what's next.

I turned from the loft to explore the second floor. I discovered that it was the bedrooms. There were five of them, thank goodness. There was plenty of space in all of the rooms, as a queen sized bed, side tables, desk, and dresser were the only pieces of furniture in the rooms. Henley would have no problem finding space for all of her belongings. At the end of the hall was the bathroom. I walked to the bathroom and peeked inside. It was huge, with one of those showers that had the heads in the ceiling and walls. Next to that was a huge Jacuzzi bathtub. There were three sinks in a row and a huge mirror covering the wall to go with them.

I hear the others' exclamations of wonder and delight as they explore our temporary residence. I walk back down the hallway and see that everyone was claiming bedrooms. But they had already been claimed for us by envelopes addressed to each of us. I walked into my designated bedroom and on the bed was a swan made of towels, pillow mints, and the envelope with my name written in elegant script. I pick up the envelope and pop one of the pillow mints in my mouth. Turning the envelope over in my hands, I found that it was sealed with wax, and in the wax, was a symbol.

The Eye.


	7. Author's Note 3

Hello wonderful readers! This is just another author's note, so I'm sorry if that's disappointing.

I haven't recieved any questions to answer in this particular Author's Note, but my offer still stands! If any of you have any questions at all, whether it's about me or The Five Magicians, or something else, don't hesitate to ask me via private message or review.

Another thing I have to discuss. Don't get too used to a new update every day. I have only been posting the chapters that I have gone through and edited and these Author's Notes. Both of those don't take very long to fix and write. I have been working on new material, but that process does take a while, especially when it comes to me and how I write.

So please be patient with me. I am trying my best.

But by all of the new favorites and follows and the numbers on my traffic graphs, I can tell that there are lots of people who like this story. For that, I am very grateful and honored. Thank you guys so much!

Well, that's about all I have to say.

Until next time dear readers!


	8. One of My Best

Hey guys! Here's a nice little edited chapter that I hope yous enjoy!

Happy reading!

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 5 - One of My Best

Dana,

You will be staying at this hotel for two weeks. In those three weeks, try to get to know one another. On April 15, you will be attending a gala in the hotel. Get the attention of Arthur Trexler. Charm him with your magic. If all goes well, you should be earning yourself an act in the hotel. But for now, concentrate on getting to know each other. Expect a package soon.

I finish reading and head back downstairs to the living room. Everyone else was already there. I plop down on the couch in between Danny and Jack. Merritt took up all the space on the second couch by laying down on it. Henley was seated comfortably on a black leather tufted chaise. Once again, we sit in a silence and once again, I break it.

"Sooo . . . a gala. Sounds pretty fancy. But then again, just look at the place we're staying in. Isn't it cool?"

I was answered with murmurs of "yeah's" and "very cool's." I look around in disbelief.

"What in the world is wrong with you guys? Don't you know how to talk?"

No one answers me. They all just look at me like I have three heads or something.

"Okay, that's it!" I exclaim, frustrated at everyone's behavior. I run up to my room to get my beloved deck of cards out of my bag. I hurry back downstairs to the couch potatoes and open up my pack of cards and fan them out in front of Jack. Snapping my fingers in front of his face, I watch him snap out of whatever reverie he was in. "Pick a card."

He reaches out and takes one from the deck of cards that I had fanned out in front of him. I have the others' attention as well. Jack looks at the card.

"Show the others," I instruct. I turn my back to them as he shows his card. When I turn back around, I hold out the deck to him and he slips his card back in. I shuffle the deck a few times, but then give it to Daniel to shuffle. Once the perfectionist is satisfied, he hands the deck back to me with a smug look on his face.

I return the look as I pull out my trusty lighter. A flame appears at the will of my thumb, and I set my deck of cards on fire.. I then toss the burning cards into the air. The ashes of the cards float down to rest on the floor. Except for one. One single card lands at my feet. The Ace of spades. I bend over and pick it up.

"Is this your card?"

Jack just nods. The look on his face told me all I needed to know. I had rendered all of them speechless.

"That's one of my best tricks. What's yours?"


	9. The Pool

**Hey guys. This is the last edited chapter, so it's going to be new material from here on out! It's very exciting stuff, and I really hope you all enjoy it. **

**Happy reading!**

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 6 – The Pool

The next two hours consisted of showing each other our best tricks. Daniel performed a fancy card trick, The Butterfly, I think it was called. I figured out how he did it, but he would never admit that I was right. Henley made us lock her in one of her many suitcases and escaped in less than two minutes. Merritt hypnotized Danny to make him think that he was Theodore Roosevelt, which was quite entertaining. As for Jack, he cut a wooden stirring spoon in half with a playing card he threw.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed.

After things calmed down, we decided to order Chinese. Merritt was nominated to go pick it up, but Danny didn't trust him, so he decided to go with Merritt. Henley didn't trust the two of them alone together, so she decided to tag along too. That left just me and Jack.

"Don't get too bored without us!" Merritt called to us before they all left.

"We won't!" Jack and I called back in unison.

We both look at each other and snicker.

"How long before they rip each other's heads off?" I ask Jack.

He thinks for a moment. "Eh, probably three minutes. Five tops."

I chuckle lightly before getting up from my spot on the couch. I wander to the staircase leading up to the bedroom floor and the roof.

"Hey, where are you going?" I hear Jack ask from his place on the other couch.

"Don't you want to see what's on the roof?" I ask.

A smile breaks out on his face and he jumps off the couch. I start up the staircase with Jack right behind me. I pass the level our rooms are on and I continue on up. I reach a landing with a door and I stop in my tracks, not able to get the door open in time. Jack couldn't stop fast enough and just as I open the door, he runs into me. We topple to the ground in a heap of limbs.

I let out a laugh and soon enough, Jack is laughing along with me. It was a nice laugh. Not too loud, not too obnoxious, but it was full and hearty. It fit him well.

He manages to get untangled from me, and offers me a hand. I take it, and he pulls me to my feet.

We look around and take in the view. You could see the entire city, even the Statue of Liberty in the distance. It was beautiful.

Tearing my eyes away from the city, I take a look at our little slice of heaven.

In one corner, there was about a six by eight area of grass, with flowers lining the edges that touched the building sides. Two outdoor chairs made of wicker with comfy looking cushions occupied the grass, with a small glass top end table sitting in between.

In another corner, was a pergola covered grill and mini bar that appeared to be fully stocked.

In a third corner was a medium sized glass and metal rectangular table with six matching metal chairs, begging for someone to sit and eat their meal.

In the middle of it all, was a rectangular shaped pool, that was pretty big in size despite all of the other things that were on the roof. A few pool chairs lined the edge. No doubt Henley was going to be tanning away tomorrow.

"Do you know what this means?" I ask him.

"That . . . we can have secret midnight swims?"

"Exactly!" I exclaim with a grin on my face.

"You know . . . I think we should test out the pool. What do you say?" He asks slyly, while slinking over to me.

I brace myself for what he's about to do. Sure enough, I feel his hands on my back trying to push me in. But at the last moment, I turn to the side and grab his arm, using his weight distribution against him, and fling him into the water. When he comes up, I burst out laughing at the look on his face. It was priceless.

"How's the water?" I taunt.

"It's just fine! Why don't you come in and join me?"

"I think I'm good. I'll take you up on that some other time."

I watch him swim up to the edge of the pool, and I back up just in case he decides to pull me in. He just gives me a grin as he climbs out of the pool, shaking his head to get his hair out of his eyes. As I avoid him, I walk to the mini bar. It came complete with wine, beer, and the hard stuff. We would definitely be putting this to good use. It would be a shame if we didn't have at least one cookout.

As I was admiring the bar, I didn't hear Jack come up behind me. The next thing I know, two very strong arms picked me up and tossed me over a broad shoulder. I squealed.

"JACK WILDER, YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I shout.

I feel him shrug. "Suit yourself," he says simply.

And with that, he tossed me into the pool.

I pop up out of the water and flash him a smile. "Well played Wilder. Well played."

He laughs and gives me a little bow.

I swim over to the edge of the pool and he holds out his hands for me to take. Naturally I dragged him back into the pool.

He pops up right next to me. "I should have seen that coming."

I shrug. "If you were a mentalist, you might have."

He just laughs, and I laugh along with him.

I felt water splash my face as I was laughing. I stop and glare at Jack.

"Oh, it is ON!" I shout.

We splashed each other, tried to dunk each other, even pull each other down under the water. But it was all in good fun.

"WAIT! WAIT! TRUCE! I CALL TRUCE!" Jack suddenly yells.

I stop trying to dunk him and try to catch my breath. "Okay, okay, truce."

I should have known better. He goes underneath the water and I feel his shoulders come up beneath me, so that I'm sitting on his shoulders. Then he launches me into the air and I land in the water with a huge splash.

I come up laughing, but I yell, "JACK WILDER, YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET THAT!"

Before I could carry out my threat, I hear, "What the hell is going on?!"

Jack and I turn to see Daniel, Henley, and Merritt standing there with the Chinese food in hand.

I give them a bright smile.

"It's about time you guys showed up! I'm starving!"


	10. The Lazy Evening

**Hello dear readers! I thought I would skip the Author's Note this time around, because there's nothing much to report except for the fact that Christmas is coming up soon, and that means that school will be out for break! I think I'm more excited about my break than I am for actual Christmas this year. Anyways, this is the first new chapter since I rebooted TFM. It's a little on the short side, and a kind of filler chapter, but it will do.**

**Happy reading everyone!**

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 7 - The Lazy Evening

After Jack and I quickly changed into dry clothes, namely our pajamas, we all sat at the fancy granite counter in the kitchen that would be our table for the duration of our stay. No one said much of anything, as we were all too busy stuffing our faces with delicious Chinese food. Once we were all satisfied, I dug into the big brown takeout bag our food came in and felt around for the fortune cookies. I took one for myself and passed the bag around for the others to get one.

I opened up the package and cracked my cookie in half, not reading the fortune until I had eaten the cookie. The fortune won't come true if you read it before eating the cookie. At least, that's what I've been told. Looking at the small slip of paper, I glance over the words.

"Even though it will often be difficult and complicated, you know you have what it takes to get it done," I read, mostly to myself. "That's a pretty good one."

"Elegant surroundings will soon be yours," Henley says, the tiny slip of paper pinched between her perfectly polished fingernails.

"Before you can be reborn, you must die," Jack reads. "That's a little ominous."

"Consume less. Share more. Enjoy life. Huh, words of wisdom right there," Merritt says. He seemed like he was almost surprised at the words that came from his cookie.

"The leader seeks to communicate his vision to his followers," Danny read. He paused, as if he was really contemplating and internalizing the words printed on that little slip of paper in his hands. I watched him as he slightly shook his head, clearing his thoughts from his head. "Not that this hasn't been fun, but I'm going to bed. Goodnight." And with that, Danny left the kitchen, his footsteps getting softer as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Yeah, I think I should go to bed too. It's been a pretty long day. Goodnight guys," Henley said as she retired to her bedroom.

"Same here kiddies. Goodnight." Merritt got up from his stool and gave Jack and I side hugs. "Don't stay up too late you two!" He called as he ascended the spiral staircase.

"Will do Pops!" Jack called back.

"Love you too!" Merritt called, before we heard the door to his room close.

Jack and I sit in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't strained, forced, or awkward. It was peaceful and natural. I yawn.

"You getting tired?" Jack asked gently.

"No, no, of course not! I was just going to do a little reading before bed. That couch is calling my name," I tell Jack, cracking a smile.

"Well as long as you are going to be up, I think I'll watch a little TV. I wouldn't mind watching a little Jimmy Fallon. I think Justin Timberlake is supposed to be one of his guests," he says as he gets up and heads to the couch, turning on the big flatscreen in the process.

"I'll be right back," I tell him. I walk to my room with light footsteps, trying to be quiet. I grab my book from my backpack and head back downstairs.

Jack was already sitting comfortably on the couch, watching Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake do one of their signature song mashup openings.

I plop myself down, stretching my legs out across the whole couch, resting my fuzzy sock covered feet on Jack's lap. My back was being supported by the arm and back of the cushiony couch. Jack gives me a sideways smile and quirks an eyebrow at my actions.

"What? I like to stretch out when I read. It's not my fault that you happen to be in the way," I reply with a shrug of my shoulders.

His only response was a little chuckle and a slight smile. He turned his attention back to the TV and I cracked open my book to the little piece of paper I was using as a bookmark. My eyes devour the words on the pages, my mind creates the scenes described to me, and I get sucked into the fantastical world once again. As I read, time passes by, the night goes on, and my eyes grow heavy with sleep. I find myself nodding off, and I try to keep myself awake. Another sentence or two is all I can manage before I finally succumb to sleep.


	11. Author's Note 4

Hello my wonderful readers! I just wanted to make another Author's Note to get some things off my chest.

One. Thank you guys so much! I am so glad that you guys are really liking TFM! It has been very fun for me to write and edit it and I am super excited for the new material that I am going to be posting! There have been so many favorites, follows, and views and more are coming in each day! So thank you guys!

Two. There has been a lot of crap going on in my life. There have been a lot of issues at home with family that I'm not going to get into, but because of that I have been very stressed lately. Add that on top of all of my school work, and it's my worst nightmare come true. So at the moment, TFM isn't my biggest concern and top priority. I work on it a little here, a little there, and when a new chapter gets done, I'll post it. That's how I'm going to be updating, so there may be significant amounts of time between updates. Please be patient.

Three. I'm out of school for Christmas break and I am so excited! I think I'm more excited for my break than I am for Christmas this year. Plus I haven't been in a real Christmas-y mood. I blame it on the weather. Right now it is 70° F outside complete with rain, fog, and humidity. And it's the end of December. That is unusual for where I live because I live in the northeast of the US. Personally, I like cold weather and the snow that comes with it, so I have a little bit of the Christmas Blues. But no matter. I'll just wait for February to roll around.

So I hope all you guys have a lovely Christmas, or Hannukah, or Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate if you celebrate anything at all this time of the year. And please, don't forget to comment or shoot me questions you would like to have me answer!

Until next time dear readers!


	12. Readings

**Hey there guys! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I know I did. Here is another new chapter that will give a little background on the mysterious Dana. It's not a very interesting chapter in my opinion, but I think it's important for some character development.**

**Either way, I hope you guys enjoy!**

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 8 - Readings

Sunlight streams through the window and pulls me from the blissful state of sleep. I roll over and try to block it out by pulling the covers over my head. But it's no use. In a huff, I get up and put my slippers on, wanting to avoid touching the floor. I quietly open the door of my room and peek my head out. I listen for a few moments, trying to figure out if anyone else was up. I didn't hear anything from downstairs, and all of the other bedroom doors were closed.

Looking at the closed doors, I realized something. I had fallen asleep on the couch. But I hadn't woken up to go to bed. I just smile to myself.

I try my best to be as quiet as possible, but each step I take generates a new sound. I tread lightly into the kitchen. I open up the fridge and find that it is fully stocked. I decide to make a breakfast of pancakes. Ones of the chocolate chip and blueberry variety.

I rummage through the pantry for the dry ingredients and the fridge for the wet ones. I search through the cupboards for the necessary utensils. I start to put my ingredients together, not bothering to look up the recipe I have made countless times before.

After whisking all the ingredients together, I butter the pancake griddle and let it heat up before pouring on the first batch of pancakes. As they cook, I sprinkle chocolate chips on some and blueberries on the rest. I sing quietly to myself as I wait to flip them. Some time passes and I already have the second batch on the griddle, almost ready for the third. Pouring on the last bit of batter, I hear,

"Were you going to wake us up, or were you just going to eat all of these yourself?"

I let out a shriek and spin around, the voice catching me off guard. I come face to face with Merritt, standing there in a white t-shirt and blue plaid pajama pants.

"Geeze Louize Merritt! You scared me half to death! How long have you been up?" I ask him, my hand on my chest over my racing heart. I turn back around to flip the last batch over.

"Not long, only fifteen minutes or so. None of the others are up yet."

I give a little 'mmhmm' in acknowledgement, but don't reply with anything else.

There was silence for a few minutes before Merritt spoke again.

"Y'know, I've been doing reads on everyone, and you're the only person I'm having trouble with."

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask cautiously, transferring the last of the pancakes from the griddle to the plate.

Merritt takes a seat at the counter and rests his elbows on it, leaning in slightly. "It's not so much of a bad thing, it's just that it takes a special person for it to be hard to get a read on them. It just makes it more difficult for me. But I would take it as a compliment."

I take out two plates, two sets of silverware, and some maple syrup and set the table for Merritt and myself. I sit down in the stool next to Merritt and help myself to the pancakes that I had spent the last half hour making.

"Well don't be shy. Dig in," I tell him, reaching for the syrup.

The first bite is heavenly, the chocolate chips just melting in my mouth, and along with the syrup, it's an overload of sweetness. Just how it's supposed to be. Merritt helps himself to a chocolate chip pancake and two blueberry ones, smothering all three in a flood of syrup. I watch for his reaction, and the blissful smile that spreads on his face is all I need to know.

"You are very bitter. What about, I can't specifically pinpoint, but it is definitely about family," Merritt says through a mouthful of pancakes. "Maybe it's about a certain family member. Or the lack thereof?"

He says it as though he knows, but is allowing me to tell him instead of completely invading my head. How . . . generous of him. But I don't humor him, and instead take another bite of my breakfast.

He continues. "And you had a lot of death in your childhood. And I mean a lot. That is something that no kid should have to go through."

He lets his words hang in the air or a few moments. "Now, I could tell you about your own past, or you could tell it to me. I know for some people that it's a bit weird to hear their own story come out of a stranger's mouth, so could I recommend that you tell me?"

I push around the last bits of my pancakes that have now gone soggy from the syrup, contemplating if I should tell him my entire backstory or not.

I let out a sigh before I speak.

"You're right. I am bitter about what I wasn't able to have. And I still am. There was a lot of death in my family, the first being when I was only seven years old. The most recent being just two years ago. And there were deaths very close to one another and other deaths that were very tragic. In spite of that, I did have a pretty good childhood, so it's not like I can complain. Others have it way worse than me."

"That is remarkable."

"What is?" I ask him, wary of what his answer would be.

"That despite all of the crap that you've gone through, and trust me, you've gone through a lot, that never once, did you ever think that your life sucked. You have every right to say that, but you never have. I want to know why that is."

I ponder his words.

"I guess that's just because . . ." I start to answer him, but I'm cut off.

"Something smells good!"

"Who made pancakes?"

Daniel and Henley interrupt our conversation.

"I did," I say, as if the answer was obvious. It kind of was though, because it didn't seem like Merritt was the cooking type.

"Dig in guys, there's more than enough," I tell them.

Merritt leans in, his voice low. "We'll talk later."


	13. A Fallout

**Hello everyone! Happy 2K16! Whoo-hoo! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and holidays. So far, TFM has had around 4,300 views! That is very exciting! But I wish that you guys would comment more. I would love to hear what you guys think. So please, drop a review after you finish this chapter.**

**Happy reading guys!**

Henley's Dress:

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Dana's Dress:

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Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 9 - A Fallout

My book is open to where I left off, laying open on the counter, my elbows resting on either side, my eyes devouring every word. Merritt, Henley, and Daniel are chatting away while eating the breakfast that I had made for everyone. I don't hear any of it though, as my head is off in Dreamland, too consumed by the enthralling story.

"Right Dana?"

This question snaps me out of my book daze and back into reality. I look up at the three of them, slightly confused. "Huh?"

"Our benefactor should be contacting us any day now, right?" Daniel repeats, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"Right," I reply, taking a gulp of water before returning to the pages that were waiting for me.

I continue reading, they continue to chat, and a good amount of time had passed before something else had snapped me out of my daze.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

"Someone's at the door," I say, still half in my trance.

I don't hear anyone get up to move, so I look up at them to find all of them with their mouths stuffed full of pancakes. I just roll my eyes, and I get up to see who was at the door.

Walking over, I unlock the bolt and open it up, expecting to find a hotel staff member waiting at the door. Instead, I find a rather large box with an envelope attached to the top of it. It had the same symbol on it that was carved into the floor of the apartment on East Evans Street. I bend down to pick the box up and find that it was actually pretty heavy. With a grunt, I manage to pick it up and carry it into the kitchen, setting it on the counter with a _thud_.

"What's that?" Henley asked, eyeing the box with a little suspicion.

"It's our benefactor. I guess today is the day," I reply, removing the envelope and ripping it open. I find another letter inside.

_Horsemen,_

_In this box you will find formal wear that you are to wear to the gala that is being hosted by Arthur Trexler on April 15th at 7:00 pm. The gala is to raise money for the Louvre, an art museum in Paris. Generous donations have already been made in your names. All you have to do is attend and catch the attention of Arthur Trexler. Dazzle him, charm him, win him over so he will sponsor you. You CANNOT fail. But try to have a little fun._

I smile at the last line.

"So? What is it?" Daniel asks, somewhat impatiently.

"If you were a mentalist, you would already know," I say, my smile growing bigger.

That got a chuckle out of Merritt and Henley, but I could tell that I had ignited a fire inside Danny. So far, it seemed like Daniel was the kind of person who didn't know how to laugh or joke around, or have any kind of fun for that matter. He had no sense of humor, and he certainly didn't appreciates others' senses of humor either.

"Basically, there are clothes in here and we have a gala to attend in five days. We have to get Arthur Trexler to become our sponsor," I tell them.

Henley squealed. "We get free fancy clothes?! I need to see! Where are some scissors?" She bolts out of her chair opening up all of the kitchen drawers to find something sharp to open the box with. She finds a steak knife and rushes back over to the box. In a frenzy of red hair and limbs, she rips open the package as if it was the last thing she would ever do.

Another squeal escapes her lips. She reaches in and pulls out an emerald green evening dress. Holding it up, the dress is fitted, floor length, and had a sweetheart neckline. It wasn't strapless though. The straps were reminiscent of a halter top, more of a sports bra shape, if you will. And all of it was beaded with different shapes of shiny white beads. It was a perfect dress for Henley. The dry cleaning bag it was in had her name on it, so it couldn't be anyone else's.

Her face was priceless though. "Oh, my, gosh. This is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. This is perfect. It's amazing." She kept rattling on about her dress. I don't blame her. It would look stunning on her.

I get curious as to what my dress looked like, so I peer in the box. My dress was first thing I saw. I slowly reached in and pulled it out, letting the skirt fall towards the floor. My jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. This trumped the beauty of the hotel.

It was a dark blue floor length evening dress. It was an a-line skirt with flowing fabric. It had off the shoulder, quarter length lace sleeves and the lace covered the dress top, with a band at the waist. Tears sprang to my eyes and my hand flew up to cover my mouth in shock. It would be the nicest thing I have ever and would ever wear. Words couldn't even come out of my mouth.

"Oh Dana, it's beautiful. You will look amazing in it. You will light up the room," Henley said, genuinely meaning it.

"This is the nicest thing I will ever wear," I say, my voice slightly cracking due to my tears of joy.

"You'll look great sweetheart. Can I be your date?" Merritt says with a wink.

I just chuckle in response. My free hand glides over the plastic garment bag, not wanting to touch it, fearing that something bad will happen to it.

"I've never had something like this before," I whisper, mostly to myself.

"Come now, a privileged girl like you? That's hard to believe," Daniel says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Excuse me?" I say, not quite believing what I just heard.

"You heard me. It's hard to believe that something like this is so worthy of your adoration. You've probably worn things three times as extravagant as that. You were probably a kid who wore all of the name brand clothing and who had everything handed to you whenever you wanted. You've probably never worked a day in your life," Daniel says, venom in his voice.

With each word that comes out of his mouth, more fury builds inside of me. Before I know it, I set the dress down, strode over to him in two steps, and brought my hand as hard as I could across my cheek. I knocked him out of the stool, and when he turned back around, there was a dark red handprint showing all five fingers on his left cheek. He opened his mouth to speak, insult me was the more likely option, but I didn't give him the chance.

"You bastard. Is that what you think of me? That I am this high and mighty person who had a privileged childhood? You don't know the first thing about me, so don't you DARE assume that you know everything there is to know about me," I say, my voice shaking from anger.

He just shoots me that awful smirk of his. "Believe me, I know your type. I knew who you were the moment I saw you. You are nothing more than a spoiled, helpless brat."

I see white dots, my fury getting the best of me. The next thing I know, Daniel is on the ground holding his nose, trying to stop the bleeding. I had punched him square on. But that did little to ease my wrath.

"My mother committed suicide when I was nine years old, and I was the one who found her body! My father worked as a bartender at a male strip club trying to provide for me! I almost got taken away by social services, and my grandparents had to step in. We had to move in with them, and when everything was looking up, my grandfather died of prostate cancer when I was twelve! I worked as much as I could trying to help my family out, and I almost dropped out of school because of it! I didn't have any friends because I was the freak whose mother decided she didn't want to live anymore and whose father was practically a stripper. I never went to any school functions because it wasn't worth the money! And you know what? It hurt! And it still does! Especially when assholes like you think that I'm just a pretty face. I have endured more pain than you will ever see, so the next time you decide to say something like that, do us all a favor and just shut the fuck up."

The kitchen was silent. Henley and Merritt had shocked looks on their faces, and Daniel had some version of guilt splayed across his usual smug demeanor.

Before anyone could say anything, I run out of the kitchen, brushing by Jack.

"Dana, are you okay?" I heard him call, but I was already halfway up the stairs.

In my room, I broke down into tears.

Through the door, I could hear Jack ask the others, "What did I just walk into?"


	14. Heroes and Hugs

**Hello everybody! I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that are following me and TFM and to all of you that have reviewed and sent me PMs! You guys are awesome! And thank you to everyone who has ever read any part of this story. It means a lot. Here is another new chapter that helps settle things down a bit after the Daniel/Dana drama.**

**Enjoy guys!**

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 10 - Heroes and Hugs

"Dana, are you okay?" I call to her, but she was already halfway up the stairs and clearly not in the mood to talk.

I hear her bedroom door open and close and the sound of muffled crying soon followed.

I turn to look at everyone, and they were all standing there in stunned silence.

"What did I just walk into?" I ask them, wanting someone to explain to me why Dana was a crying mess.

Henley and Merritt exchange a look between themselves before answering me.

"Well Daniel here upset and insulted her," Merritt said, pointing a thumb at him.

He was holding a napkin up to his nose and I could see a bruise starting to form on his cheek.

"What did she do to you?" I ask, shocked that a girl like her could hit someone.

"She slapped me and then punched me in the nose, is what she did! Innocent little Dana is not what she appears to be. Don't let her looks fool you," he advised.

"Danny deserved it," Henley said, jumping into the conversation. "We got a package from our benefactor. They sent us formal wear to dress in to go to a gala that's going to be in the hotel. Dana pulled out her dress and said it would be the most amazing thing she would ever wear. Then Danny decided to open his big fat mouth and started making all these assumptions about how he thought she was just a spoiled little rich girl. Then she blew up at him, chewed him up and spit him out. He got what he deserved."

I glare at Danny. He was my hero. I looked up to him when I first started out. Hell, I still do! When I found out that I had the chance to work with _the_ J. Daniel Atlas, it was a dream come true. But I guess it's true what they say. Never meet your heroes.

I glance at everybody in the kitchen, and my eyes land on Dana's book. It was still open to the page she was on. I slowly walk over and put her bookmark in, picking up the book as I do so. I leave the kitchen silently and make my way up the stairs. I pause at her door before I knock. She's still crying.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

I hear shuffling and the door opens up just enough that I can see the left side of her face.

"Hey.'

"Hi Jack." Her voice cracks when she greets me.

I hold out the book to her. "You left this downstairs. I thought it might keep you company."

She opens the door wider and takes the book from me. Her hand is still shaking. I look up at her face. It's tear stained with red puffy eyes and a runny nose. Hurt was in her eyes.

"You okay? I heard what happened. Merritt and Henley filled me in."

She doesn't answer me at first, like she's mulling over the events in her head. I see more tears start to form in her eyes, and before I know it, she's hugging the life outta me. It takes me a little by surprise, and she knocked all of the breath out of me, but I hug her right back.

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and squeeze her tight. I can feel her body shake with each breath she takes. I start to rub her back in attempt to calm her down a little bit.

"Dana, listen to me, okay?" I say softly.

I feel her nod.

"You can't listen to him. I know he can be harsh, and this seems to be a new low for him, but you are not what he says, okay? You are kind. You are smart. You are important. To me, to Henley, to Merritt, and whether he likes it or not, Daniel too. So just brush it off and never look back. Okay kid?"

We stand there, silent, in the doorway of her room as time passes us by, but I don't dare let go of her. I don't dare say anything either, knowing that this silence is all she needs right now. Ever so slowly, her breathing returns to normal, and her tears stop flowing. I feel her squeeze me a little tighter.

"Thanks Jack," she says before she lets go of me. "You are a good person. Remember that for me, okay?"

I feel a smile spread on my face. "I will. I promise."

She lets go of me and then gives me a _really? _look.

"What?" I ask innocently, knowing full well what she's going to say.

She quirks an eyebrow. "Really? 'Kid'? I'm not that much younger than you, you know."

"Yeah, but I don't have a better nickname for you, so it's kid until I think up of a better one. Now how about we go exploring? I think it's high time we check this hotel out."


	15. Author's Note 5

Hello my wonderful readers!

I know a lot of you don't like these Author's Notes, but I do. Putting a giant paragraph or two before a new chapter is annoying for me and I am the author, so what I says goes.

Anyways . . . I just wanted to say that Chapter 10 is probably going to be the last new chapter for a while. And by a while, I mean a few weeks.

This month is crazy for me. This weekend alone, I have all sorts of stuff going on. And every weekend this month, in fact.

Three concerts can take a lot out of a person. What instrument do you guys think I play? Take a guess!

And on top off all my crazy busy weekends, Midterms are also this month. Whoop-dee-do.

I promise to try to keep writing through this month, but if I do, it's going to be a bit here, a sentence there, that sort of thing.

Oh, and don't be afraid to leave a review or comment! How did you like my last chapter? What do you think will happen next? What do you want to happen next? Let me know! I love to hear from you!

Until the next new chapter, I wish you all the best!


	16. Elevator Shenanigans

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 11 - Elevator Shenanigans

Jack was right about one thing. We just had to explore this amazing hotel. I tell Jack to go get dressed while I do the same. I slip out of my pajamas and into more acceptable clothing to wear. I decide on just a simple olive green tee, dark blue skinny jeans, black Converse, and I just throw my hair up into a ponytail. I grab my bag and head out the door, not knowing when we'll be back. As I head down the stairs, I hear hushed whispers coming from Henley, Merritt, and Daniel. I stop to hear what they're saying, but I can't make anything out other than a couple words.

"Apologize!"

"Why?"

"Crossed the line."

I hear Jack come up behind me. "You ready?" he asks.

I take a deep breath. "Yeah."

We start down the stairs in silence, walking past the kitchen. I don't look at anybody until I have a grip on the door handle. "We're going exploring. Not sure when we'll be back," I said curtly, not bothering to look at Daniel. I don't give any further explanation and with that, Jack and I leave.

"Don't worry. Everything will cool down when we get back," Jack assures me.

"I sure hope so."

When we step into the elevator, we go down a few floors before it stops. A man and a woman get on, husband and wife in their mid thirties get on. She is wearing furs and diamonds. He is wearing gold rings and cufflinks. The silence in the elevator is very awkward, as Jack and I once again look and feel extremely out of place. I can hear Jack fiddling with his playing cards.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

"Will you please quit that incessant noise, whatever that is?" The woman snaps, her voice high pitched with a nasal quality. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jack make a face before making his card disappear.

Flick.

Not wanting dead silence in the elevator, I pull out my favorite lighter and start playing with it.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

A smirk creeps onto my face as I hear the woman let out a huff.

"Would you cut that out!" She exclaims.

"Ma'am, I was simply perfecting my magic trick. See?" I hold out my hand and show her the lighter flame in my palm.

I see her take a step back, not wanting to be anywhere near the flame.

"Put that flame out! Richard, make her put that fire out!" The woman shrieks, now becoming hysterical.

"Young lady, will you please . . . ." The man, Richard, starts to say. But I cut him off with a sneeze. The flame lands on the floor and catches the woman's shiny high heel on fire. She frantically stomps the flame out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I think I'm allergic to your furs. And your gold. And your diamonds."

"Well I never have been more insulted in my entire life! I'm going to tell the manager about this!" As soon as the woman said that, the elevator doors open and the pair hurry out to the front desk, the woman's voice echoing loudly through the lobby.

Jack and I exit the elevator, laughing our asses off.


	17. In Our Element

Lovely Wanderer

Chapter 12 - In Our Element

Jack and I had finally gotten rid of our laughing fit and decided to check out what the hotel had to offer. We had come to find out, after about five minutes of walking around, that everything was super rich and classy. There were jewelry stores every ten feet, fancy clothing stores that only sold the best of the best designers, and perfume shops that just oozed elegance.

Coming to this realization very quickly, Jack had ushered me back out to the main lobby.

"Come on Dana, we don't need to be surrounded by all this crap. Let's get back into our element."

We walked out of the hotel's rotating doors and out into a beautiful New York spring day. Walking a few blocks, Jack decided to set up shop on a currently unoccupied street corner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Jack Wilder, and I am _the _next greatest magician! Gather round!"

A few people took the time out of their day to actually watch whatever Jack was about to do.

"May I please have a volunteer? Anybody, anybody, just step right up! How about you there in the green shirt?"

Jack pointed to me. What the heck was he doing? But I do as he asks.

"Thank you for volunteering! What's your name?" Jack asks, doing the 'get to know the volunteer' routine.

"Dana," I state simply. I see he has his pack of cards in his hands.

"Very nice to meet you Dana. Now I would like you to pick a card. Any card you like," he says, fanning out the deck for me.

I take one and enclose it in my hand.

"Now Dana, I would like you to show the card face to the audience here, but not to me, okay?"

I show my card to the now small crowd of people. The King of Spades.

"Can you please put your card back into the deck?"

"I would love to Mr. Wilder, but I seem to have lost the card." I hold out my hands to show that the card was no longer there.

"It seems that my friend Dana here has misplaced the card for my trick. Does anyone know where it is? I think you do sir," he says, pointing to a man.

"I can assure you I don't have the card," the man replies.

"I think you do my good man. Check under your hat," Jack insists.

Sure enough, when the man takes off his hat, a card was inside. The look of astonishment on the man's face was priceless.

"How did you do that?" the man asks.

"A magician never tells," Jack answers with his coy smile and a wink.

Jack walks back over to me and hands me the card.

"I believe that _this_ would be your card?"

"You would be mistaken," I say. "I do believe that someone else here has my card." I turn to the crowd. "Now which one of you has it?"

Walking through the crowd of people, I glance them over, until I come to a little boy, about three years old, who was holding the hand of his dad.

I crouch down to his level. "Hey buddy. Do you have my card?"

He shakes his head 'no.'

"Are you sure you don't have it?" I ask again.

"I promise I don't," he says.

"Are you sure you're sure? Because I see a little something sticking out from behind your ear," I say, reaching up to his ear.

With a flick of my wrist, the card appears in my hand, and I bring it into the boy's view. His eyes go wide.

"Wow!"

I hold up the card for the audience to see. Whispers of amazement ripple through the crowd.

I crouch back down to the little boy and offer him the card. "With some practice, you can do stuff like this one day."

"I'll practice everyday!" he exclaims, accepting the small token.

I stand back up and turn around to face the crowd. Jack's just smiling away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think I just got outdone. What do you think? Let's give her a round of applause!" Jack shouts to the crowd, allowing them to erupt in applause.

I smile and bow.

This felt like home.


End file.
